A Visit From the Johnson Family

On Monday my sister-in-law Cedar and my two nephews came for a visit.  We had a wonderful time. 

"Shall we go see the ducks now Auntie Leah?" We started our morning together with a walk around Lake Calhoun.  We stopped on the way so Lewis could throw rocks into the lake.

We finally made it to the playground and spent the rest of our time there.  Stewart enjoyed digging in the sand while Lewis spent his time turning the big red wheel.

After our adventure at the park we went to meet Aunt Joni for lunch and then Lewis had his first dental appointment.  He did a great job and was very brave.  Aunt Joni is an amazing dentist. 

With clean pearly whites, we drove back to Lake Calhoun for some fun at the park.  Uncle Forest was able to see everyone and help the boys chase squirrels before they had to head back to Wisconsin.

Where did he go?................................................................................... Up the tree



"There you go little pumpkin"

"I'm not a pumpkin"

"What are you then?"

"I'm a Lewis!"



Project Runway Cake

This past year I have been really into the T.V. show "Cake Boss" and after watching several episodes I decided it was time to try and make a cake worthy of Buddy.  I have been watching Project Runway with some friends and we rotate who brings dessert.  I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to test my cake making abilities.  My idea was to make a runway and decorate it with clothes, I wanted to create the illusion that outfits were coming down the runway. 

I started with a golden layer cake baked in two bread pans (for my runway) and made some vanilla buttercream frosting to dirty ice my cake. 

Since I didn't have any access to modeling chocolate to create the outfits I decided to go with the next best thing, sugar cookies.  I rolled out the dough and hand cut cookies in the shapes of clothes, shoes and purses.  This turned out to be much more difficult then I had anticipated.  However, I was very proud of my jumpsuit.  After baking the cookies, I frosted them to the best of my abilities.  Unfortunately my sister inherited all of the creative genes in our family.

The finished product...................

Home

Some people say home is where your heart is and I think I would have to agree.  There are certain smells, sounds, foods and images that remind me of home or at least the home my heart. My heart often longs for these things and whenever I experience them I am instantly comforted.  Interestingly enough I am not transported to my hometown of Iowa City but to some other place...a place of peace.  I am transported to a feeling that makes me feel safe and secure.  No matter how far away I move or where I travel whenever I experience these things my heart feels warm and settled. 

The other day I was driving from Minneapolis to Cedar Falls to meet a friend for lunch and I saw one of the images that reminds me of home.  Despite all of the stress in my life right now, I felt calm and peaceful if only for a moment. 

Anybody who has ever traveled on Interstate 35 will know these wind turbans.  They are located in a farm by Joice, Iowa.  For some reason, they are comforting to me.  Big, powerful and hopeful they bring a smile to my face and heart everytime I drive by.

Au Revoir Montreal

Dear Montreal,

It's time to say goodbye and part ways.  It's not you, it's me.  We've had a great year filled with many tears, laughs, frustrations and joy.  I've experienced a lot of new things and have taken risks.  I've made wonderful friends and will miss them dearly. 

Thank you for all the fun adventures.

Cheers,
Leah

P.S. Here are some of the signs that I am going to miss, they always make me chuckle.

 

Goodbye Harry Potter

Many, many, many summers ago, when I was just a girl of 15 years old, I babysat for two wonderful kids.  Everyday we played, read and did math problems.  They taught me many games (chess and nertz) but the most important thing they taught me was to imagine.  I have always had a great imagination and as a kid was never bored of transporting myself to other worlds, but this was different.

" Leah, do you want to be in our play?" she asked.
"Of course," I replied.
"You could be Hagrid," he said.
"Hagrid?" I questioned.
"From Harry Potter," they responded.
"Harry Potter?" I asked.
"Here, read this," she said handing me a book, a portkey really, into the world of J.K. Rowling's imagination, into the world of magic, friendship, challenges, tragedy, comedy and the boy who lived.

I have always considered myself a reader but reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone lead me on a reading journey I will never forget.  From the beginning, I was pulled into Harry's world.  I empathized for the boy who lived in the cupboard below the stairs, the girl with frizzy hair and the redhead who always got teased by the mean Draco Malfoy.  I was in awe of Dumbledore and Hogwarts.  Secretly I would wave a pencil around, practicing the spells (wingardium leviosa, pronounced lev ee oh saw) then I secured a wand but alas I am a mere muggle (don't tell Forest because I keep telling him I am destined for a career at Hogwarts). 

One of the most magical things about the Harry Potter series is that it got the world reading.  Imagine millions of people lining up or pre-ordering book after book and all reading on the same day.  Reading is a wonderful thing, the best really and I can't believe the spell J.K. Rowling held over the reading world.  What she did was amazing, I knew a lot of people who didn't read but would pick up Harry Potter. 

As the last book came out, I waited by my mailbox in a chair from noon until 4 p.m. when it finally arrived (the last delivery of the day according to the mailman).  Once I opened the book I kept reading until it was finished.  When the book was finished, I felt empty knowing I had read the last book and that the series was over.  The silver lining was that the movies would still be coming out.  I went to the movies dressed up in my Hogwarts robes, Gryffindor scarf, HP glasses, Gryffindor tie and holding my wand.  Similarly I was transported into the wizarding world for two sometimes two and a half hours.  I would leave feeling hopeful, excited for the next movie.  Now that silver lining is gone as the last HP movie opens at midnight and tomorrow at 6:30 p.m., wand in hand, I will say goodbye to the last Harry Potter movie (but not in 3D). 

Totem: A Cirque du Soleil Spectacle

When bend over, I can't touch my toes.  I have to use the yoga bricks when I do yoga (once every other year), I was the only person on the dance team who couldn't do the splitz, and I failed the sit and reach in elementary school.  Growing up I was in dance and gymnastics. I had to quit gymnastics because I was scared of walking on the tall balance beam.  There are a few things that scare the beejesus out of me and plummeting to my death from a balance beam is one of them.

 It has taken a little emotional healing but I know that I will never be in the olympics, a backup dancer for someone awesome, a yoga instructor, or most likely ever touch my toes when I bend over.  Lately my exercise has consisted of bending over to pick up the t.v. remote when it falls on the floor or sometimes I reach really far to get my glass of water or snack on the side table in the living room.  Needless to say, I was pretty dang impressed when we went to see Totem yesterday.

Totem is the Cirque du Soleil show that is currently in Montreal.  Montreal is the home of Cirque and for some strange reason I didn't have this on my bucket list but was very happy that I got to go.  Cirque has set up a tent, well many tents in the old port.  The yellow and blue stripes beckon people from the street to step right up and see the greatest show there ever was.  And that is just what we did.



Leah and Angela

 The show is about the evolution of the journey into mankind.  Totem traces the fascinating journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly.    And fly those acrobats did.  Everything was mesmorizing from the set and costumes to the performers who would flip and twist and land on a little plank in the air.  It is amazing how fearless the performers are.  Everytime someone did a stunt I said a silent prayer as I watched grinding my teeth down to nubs.

All of the acts were well choreographed, my favorite being the trapeze.  How anybody was able to create a show like that was beyond me (I am also creatively challenged).  The show was definitely in the top three of my favorite things I have done in Montreal. 

    

Jazz Festival and Fireworks

My sister is here!  Angela flew in Friday night and will be here until Tuesday.  In order to give her the proper Montreal summer experience we had a full day yesterday.

We started the day at the Jazz Festival around 11:00 a.m.  Unfortunately there was nothing going on.

We walked down to Old Montreal for lunch at 3 Brasseurs and to check out the Saint Jaques Square.  After watching some funny yet dissapointing street performances (the guy kept messing up his tricks) we walked along the water and then headed to Les Glaceurs for ice cream and cupcakes. 

We walked back to the jazz festival and must have just missed the afternoon performances.  With time to spare, Forest ran some errands and Angela and I headed to our sanctuary, the movie theater.  We pulled a double dip and then met up at Guido and Angelinos for dinner.

We went back to the Jazz Festival and this time there were more people and some acrobats.  We even saw two different performances.

For our grand finale we took the metro to Jean Drapeau, hopped a bus and off roaded up a big hill to get seats on the bridge for the international firework festival.  Upon our arrival we were greeted by several large spiders (I was worried about getting bit and becoming the first Spiderwoman) and thousands of moths.  Once the fireworks started I no longer felt like I was on a jungle safari but somewhere magical.

Starting June 25 and continuing every Saturday and some Wednesdays until the end of July, fireworks are set off at La Ronde.  Every week a different country showcases their pyromusical talents for the competition.  This Saturday, July 2, the pyrotechnicians were from the Czech Republic and the theme was a Flower Duet. 

I love fireworks and these were pretty amazing.  There were fireworks I had never seen before and plenty that I had.  The explosions of light and color and the lingering sparks remind me of willow trees with their hanging branches.

Photo courtesy of Forest Isbell

Photo courtesy of Forest Isbell

Photo courtesy of Forest Isbell

We ended the night with the longest bus ride ever (why is there so much traffic in Montreal?) but finally made it home around 1:00 a.m.

The Big Bagle Battle

Everday one must make many decisions.  Some of these decisions are simple: What should I wear today? Should I take the 24 bus or the 51 bus? Where should I eat lunch? What should I do tonight after work?  Some of the decisions are difficult, these decisions have consequences and put you into a category that might separate you from your friends and family.  In Montreal, one of the difficult questions you must ask yourself is: Do I prefer St. Viateur bagels or Fairmont bagels? 

Bagels are an important part of the food culture in Montreal.  The bagels in Montreal are different from the bagels I am used to but still delicious.  Sesame seed is the standard bagel you will get if you go into the store and ask for a bagel.  In Montreal there are many bagel shops but two stand alone, St. Viateur and Fairmont.

The original St. Viateur bagels opened in 1957, and remains open 24/7.  They sell over 1,000 bagels a day. It was founded by Myer Lewkowicz who arrived from Eastern Europe bringing with him, his famous bagel recipe. Each bagel is hand rolled and baked in a wood-burning oven.

Fairmount bagles originally opened in 1919 when Isadore Shlafman moved to Canada.  His bagels were also rolled by hand and cooked in a wood-burning oven.  He moved to Fairmount Street in 1949 taking his shop with him.  His family lived upstairs and he would go downstairs and cook the bagels.

Yesterday my friend Mahsa took me on a tour of mile end and had me taste test a bagel from each shop to see if I could tell the difference.  First we stopped at St. Viateur.  When I asked if I could take a picture the guy said to come on back and see how the magic was made.  We got to help hold the paddle as bagels were taken out of the oven.



Mahsa, Leah and the bagel guy taking bagels out of the oven

 Our next stop was Fairmount bagels.  To be fair, I got a sesame seed bagel at each (even though the chocolate chip bagel at Fairmount sounded tempting).

Both of the bagels were tasty.  There were subtle differences between the bagels but my untrained bagel palette couldn't really taste a difference.  All in all I would say they are both good and I will take whichever one I can get.

The Colors of Summer

My parents came to visit me and today and we had a great day.  We started the day in the Old Port/Quays with a boat ride.  The water was beautiful, it glistened and sparkled as it lapped against our boat.  Water is one of my favorite things about summer.  I would love to be able to own a place on the water and spend time enjoying it everyday.  Sometimes when I am really stressed out I swim laps at the pool, being sumberged in water relaxes me. As we were riding in the boat today I started thinking about all of the beautiful colors of summer which prompted me to write this blog. 

We ended our day at the Jean Talon market which is one of my favorite places in Montreal.  The fruit and vegetables are amazing, reminding me yet again that summer is here.  Being at the market, with all of the colors and hues, was comprable to being at the Holt Renfrew surrounded by fashion.  The colors of summer are everywhere and it brings a smile to my face to know that none of them look like snow. 

Au Pied de Cochon

Au Pied de Cochon or the pig's foot, is a restaurant that is pretty popular in Montreal.  I happened to stumble across it when I was looking for a fun place to eat online.  The menu has a lot of items containing foie gras and various parts from a pig.  If you are a vegetarian this is probably not the place for you.  Interestingly enough the Au Pied de Cochon also has a sugar shack during maple season. 

After looking over the menu I decided that there was about five things that I might eat (I am very picky) and got pretty excited about the foie gras poutine.  If you know anything about foie gras it is hard to eat it without thinking about where it comes from, if you can get past that it tastes like a party in your mouth. 

Forest and I met up with some of our friends and made the adventure to Au Pied du Cochon.  It was a Thursday and it was extremely hot outside.  The restaurant wasn't air conditioned and we happened to be seated close to the kitchen.  The meal I ordered must've been at least 10,000 calories but because I sweat so much I think I ended up breaking even. 

Pete and Yi-Yi ordered these little foie gras squares.  The way to eat them is to put the entire thing in your mouth and then close your lips and let the flavor explode in your mouth.

Guinea Hen Liver Mousse- I tried this, it smelled and looked a bit like cat food but tasted ok

Yi-Yi and Pete with their appetizers

Foie gras poutine

PDC's Melting Pot- different bits of sausages, pork and potatoes (Forest ordered this)

All in all the experience was pretty fun and it was neat to try new foods.  If you are interested in going you can make reservations online or call.  You will need to call about two weeks in advance.

Parc Lafontaine

My friend Charlotte and I decided to go on a geocache at Parc Lafontaine.  Parc Lafontaine is in the plateau and has two ponds, "waterfalls", a fountain, an outdoor theater, play areas, baseball diamonds, and loads of ice cream trucks.  I had never been geocaching before and I was pretty excited.  Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt and there are many different geocaches all over the world.  A capsule containing various trinkets, maybe a travel bug and a pad of paper that you can sign when you find it, is burried somewhere and it is your job to find it.  You look online to get coordinates and then off you go.  Once you get to the designated coordinates you have to do a little searching to find the capsule.  Throughout this whole treasure hunt you are supposed to act stealthy so you don't draw attention to yourself and ruin the surprise for other people in case they would like to experience the geocahing adventure themselves. 

I had never been to Parc Lafontaine and was taking in the sites once we started our geocache. It was a really beautiful and hot day so there were a lot of people enjoying the park.  We navigated the park using Charlotte's GPS and found the area where the geocache was located.  Charlotte is a seasoned geocacher and she knew where to look so we started digging in the rocks right away.  Apparently I wasn't being stealthy enough because two old ladies came up to me and started speaking in French.  I kept telling them that I don't speak French and I pointed at Charlotte who does speak French.  Since the extent of my French is un baguette s'il vous plait we were at a standstill until Charlotte came over to speak with them. 

After Charlotte convinced the ladies that we were ok we continued searching.  Charlotte found our capsule which was hidden in the rocks.  I can't disclose any more information about the location in case any of you would like to find it (although I am pretty sure my only reader lives in Des Moines, Iowa).  She wanted me to experience finding it as well so she hid it again and then I had to go searching for it.  While I was doing this, I scraped my knee.  I didn't realize that geocaching was an adventure sport and it was at that time that I decided that geocaching might not be a big part of my future.

Finding the box was pretty thrilling and it was neat to see what was inside.  Charlotte had brought a travel bug that she found the previous weekend and left it in the capsule.  She signed the book and then we tucked the capsule away exactly where we found it. 

Charlotte

Pond 1

Leah in front of Pond 2

Capsule

My scaped knee

Charlotte with the treasures

Cool Chair Art- as we were leaving the park we saw these chairs with different items underneath them (a book, soccer ball, shoes, lunch pail)